How Has Technology Changed Education?

Technology has played a key role in education’s transformation over the years, opening up new possibilities for teaching and learning. The trend accelerated during the 2020 pandemic when the switch to remote learning put a device in nearly every kid’s hand, boosted teachers’ tech skills, and ensured tech-rich classrooms are here to stay.

The mobility of tech, whether it’s a laptop or tablet, allows for a more flexible classroom where students can collaborate with classmates, work independently, or get one-on-one help from the teacher. And since generative AI can create lesson plans, analyze data, personalize learning, and provide help when a student is stuck, students are continuously engaged while teachers have more time to build the relationships that lead to improved academic outcomes.

But with all the ways technology has changed education, and with generative AI in particular, teachers say they need professional development to help them navigate these changes. (Check out our quick guide to AI in the classroom for best practices). In HMH’s 2024 Educator Confidence Report, lack of professional development made the top 3 concerns about AI—surpassed only by plagiarism and student over-dependence on the technology.

“Teachers are telling us they’re not getting enough support in learning about using AI professionally and what to tell students about it,” says Francie Alexander, senior vice president of research at HMH. “That’s why I’m so glad we have such robust professional services at HMH, because teachers aren’t getting this in their preservice training, and we can shed some light on this topic by showing how we’re using AI and how it can be used in classrooms.”

How has educational technology changed over the years?

Educational technology has evolved alongside general advances in technology, as well as with a growing body of research on how best to use technological tools in the classroom. Here are a few key points in that journey:

• Chalkboards were in nearly every classroom by the mid-1800s, allowing teachers to present lessons to the whole class.  
• The pencil made its way into classrooms in the 1900s and in the 1970s made the automatic grading of tests possible with the help of bubble sheets and scanners.  
• Overhead projectors and photocopiers began entering schools in the 1950s and 1960s, enabling efficient access to materials.
• Handheld calculators, introduced to classrooms in the 1970s, provided opportunities for students to focus less on computational recall and more on advanced problem solving. 
• Desktop computers, with their drilling and practice programs as well as games and assessments, became common in classrooms in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Laptop computer programs launched in schools beginning in the early 1990s, allowing students to access information online, watch educational videos, and collaborate with classmates on projects in real time.
• Internet access in the 1990s and 2000s ushered in a number of developments, including online grading systems, communication via email, collaboration on shared documents, interactive whiteboards, digital textbooks, and remote learning.
• Tablet computers entered classrooms around 2010, making it easier for students to access educational apps and online learning on a device that they could transport from class to class and outside of school.
• Artificial Intelligence has powered many of the recent advances in educational technology today, including adaptive learning systems that provide content tailored to individual needs. 

How has technology changed student learning?

The move from pencil and paper to one-to-one digital devices was bound to transform learning. Students now have immediate access to information for writing a research paper and video tutorials on any subject. This can broaden perspectives and deepen learning, but it also means students must be more adept at evaluating sources and synthesizing information—skills that require instruction and practice. Additionally, students need to develop digital citizenship skills and learn to navigate data privacy issues.

The effects of technology on education don't stop there. Technology has also expanded student-support resources. Collaboration is no longer limited to students and teachers in the same classroom or building, and many students at home can access homework support and materials on class websites. Technology has also enabled parents and caregivers to help in new ways, as they can access class websites to see what their child is learning or check homework assignments. And if they need a refresher on a skill or concept their child is working on, they can quickly access videos or online tutorials. Email also makes quick work of communicating with teachers.

Programs using AI can personalize learning by tailoring lessons to each student’s skills and interests. Lessons that are relevant to students’ lives tend to keep them motivated and engaged. HMH’s personalized learning solutions include adaptive practice with Read 180 and Waggle, oral fluency practice from Amira, and AI-supported writing practice and feedback in Writable.

The move to one-to-one digital devices transformed education, opening the door to more personalized learning that includes lessons tailored to each student's skills and interests.

How has technology changed teaching?

Technology advances have changed the classroom setup. Teachers no longer have to spend their time at the front of the classroom with students facing them in rows. Tablets allow students to learn anywhere in the classroom, individually or in small groups, using programs that can assign lessons and activities that are tailored to students' needs.

HMH’s 2024 Educator Confidence Report shows educators generally have a favorable view of tech. Of the educators we surveyed, 81% with more than 10 years of experience say technology has impacted education “very/somewhat” positively over the past decade. 

The two areas where educators see the biggest impact are in data informing instruction and strengthening the craft of teaching. They say tech such as digital assessments frees up their time so they can give more attention to customizing instruction to address diverse learning needs. Tools that deliver interactive learning and seamlessly integrate assessment with instruction are vital to their classrooms.

With the release of language-based models, the use of artificial intelligence in education has come into the spotlight. But AI has impacted teaching for many years. Our survey shows that in just one year, educators’ use of generative AI increased fivefold. Seventy-three percent of educators who use it say that it saves them time, with one out of three saying it saves them a “great deal” of time. 

The top ways educators say AI can be valuable include creating study guides, worksheets, and lesson plans, delivering personalized learning, and helping with administrative or repetitive tasks. 

The growing use of AI in classrooms has raised concerns, too. Teachers’ top concerns include student plagiarism and overdependence on AI. Teachers also worry about the lack of professional development available to ensure they are using AI tools safely and with fidelity. 

Even with these challenges, 72% of educators who use AI say they plan to use it even more in the following school year. As long as the benefits continue to outweigh the drawbacks, technology such as AI will continue to impact teaching.

“We all could have predicted that AI use would increase in the classroom,” says Alexander. “The part that concerns me is their wariness still and the fact that there is such a call for professional development. This is a big transformation in classrooms, and we have to be there to support our teachers who are dealing with these changes day to day.” 

How has technology changed education positively?

The impact of technology on education has been largely positive. Here are some of the ways technology has improved education:

• Access: Technology provides teachers with more ways to create up-to-date instructional materials and students with more ways to access them. The reduction of physical barriers has enabled experiences such as virtual field trips, hybrid learning, and live access to subject-matter experts.
• Personalized learning: Adaptive and data-driven instruction makes it possible to quickly identify individual students’ needs and provide content to meet those needs. Learning accelerates when students work within the zone of proximal development, the space between what learners can do independently and what they can do with help. 
• Collaboration: Online tools enable students to work together on slides or documents without being in the same physical space, and teachers have access to materials and support from other educators and experts anywhere in the world. 
• Communication: The home-school connection is stronger with tools for reporting attendance and grades as well as students’ challenges and successes. Online grading systems and assessments provide immediate data in a variety of formats, facilitating data-informed planning and instruction. 
• Career readiness: Some degree of digital literacy and fluency are needed in nearly every job. Practicing these skills in school helps prepare students for life beyond the classroom. 

Has technology changed education negatively?

With or without technology, the classroom should be a place for creating authentic learning experiences and building relationships. If we stick to these guideposts and watch out for the pitfalls below, technology can have a positive impact on education. 

• Too many logins: Teachers are juggling disparate logins for programs that don't talk to one another. At HMH, we’re making progress in this area, integrating programs on one platform for a seamless experience that improves teacher workflows. One example is HMH Performance Suite, which integrates assessment, instruction, intervention, and PD on a single platform. 
• Lack of purpose: It’s important to ask if a particular tool is improving efficiency, collaboration, or engagement in some way. Additionally, technology should align with learning objectives so implementation doesn’t come at the expense of curriculum-based learning needs.
• Remote interactions: While remote and hybrid learning have brought much-needed educational access to many students, it’s important to remember that technology is most beneficial when it enhances rather than replaces relationships with teachers and peers. In fact, our latest educator survey shows that about 50% say tech saves them time, which potentially frees them up to build relationships and provide one-on-one help.
• Distraction: Without safeguards, students might be exposed to inappropriate or false information. Avoiding these pitfalls requires teaching students best practices for using technology, online safety measures, and evaluating sources. HMH’s quick guide to using AI in the classroom is a good start. 
• Academic dishonesty: Plagiarism and cheating are not new in education, but technology can make them easier to do. More technology (such as the plagiarism detection software in HMH’s Writable) can mitigate the issue, but in many cases the solution remains the same—knowing your students’ work and giving assignments that require deep thought and evidence of learning. 

How will technology change education in the future? 

Educators told HMH in our latest survey how they would like to see technology change education in the future. They say it would be a game changer to have tools that connect instruction with supplemental practice, intervention, and assessment on one platform. HMH is taking this a step further by adding professional development to that same platform, putting everything educators need at their fingertips. 

“Educators are asking for this level of integration and things working together,” says Alexander. “One of my first jobs was with the littles and it was all about working and playing nicely together. Now we are seeing that the whole education system that we make works and plays nicely together.”

***

Our 10th annual Educator Confidence Report (ECR) reveals teachers’ views on technology, generative AI, the state of profession, and more. Download the report today.